Legendary actor, Cary Grant, was born Archibald Alexander Leach on Jan 18, 1904 in Horfield, Bristol. Grant appeared in 75 films. His best known films include She Done Him Wrong, I'm No Angel, The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, Gunga Din, His Girl Friday, My Favorite Wife, The Philadelphia Story, Suspicion, Arsenic and Old Lace, Notorious, The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, The Bishop's Wife, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, To Catch a Thief, Indiscreet, Houseboat, North by Northwest, Charade and Father Goose. Grant died at the age of 82 on Nov 29, 1986 in Davenport, IA and was cremated and his ashes scattered in CA.

Early Life

Cary Grant was born Archibald Leach On January 18th,
1904 in Bristol, England. His childhood was a nightmare of instability and poverty.
His father, Elias, was a womanizer and his mother, Elsie, was an emotionally
unstable woman who long suffered from crippling clinical depression. Although
she had high hopes for her only child, the young Cary Grant did little to
distinguish himself while attending Bishop Road Primary School. At the age of
9, Grant was informed by his father that his mother had taken a "long Holiday" when in reality he had placed her in a mental institution. Grant would spend
the next twenty years believing the lie, until his father confessed the truth
on his deathbed. Soon placing Elsie in the asylum, his father would remarry and
much to his son dismay. Fed up with his Dickensian life, at age 13 Grant left
his insufferable environment to join a troupe of traveling acrobats. His father
quickly found him and dragged the boy home.

Troupe Life

In 1918, after being expelled from Fairfield Grammar School,
Grant finally made the permanent escape from his dreary surroundings and joined
the Bob Pender Stage Troupe. Grant learned quickly as he traveled the music
halls of London, performing as a juggler, an acrobat, and a comedian, giving
him the kinetic grace and impeccable comedic timing he become famed for. In
1920 Grant made the leap across the pond, traveling with the Pender Troupe to
the United States. He was just 16 years old.

Vaudeville and
Theatre

After the groups' two-year stint in the U.S, the troupe
returned to England but young Grant stayed, hoping to find more opportunity in
the performing arts. He briefly performed in the Broadway musical revue Better Times, thus making his Broadway
debut in 1922. He easily found work in the vaudeville circuit, working as
carnival baker and a stilt walker before forming his own troupe, Parker, Rand
and Leach. After five years on the vaudeville circuit, Grant decided to try his
hand at the stage. In 1927 made his first significant appearance on the
Broadway stage in Golden Dawn. Because
of his extensive training in the circus arts, Grant gained an incredible amount
of body control and comic timing served him well in the theatre. In the late
1920's he continued to play small roles on Broadway, such as Golden Dawn, Boom Boom, and A Wonderful Night before heading to the
Midwest to performer at The Muny Stage in St. Louis. He honed his acting skill
in productions such as Irene, Music in
May and Nina Rose. Soon after, Grant felt confident in his acting and performer
skills and with that, left for Hollywood.

Hollywood

In 1931, Grant arrived in Hollywood and less than a year
later made his screen debut in the film This
is the Night. Soon after he was signed to a five year contract with
Paramount studio. The studio began to groom the young actor into leading-man
material. The first order of business was a name change. Grant had originally
suggested the name Cary Lockwood, but ultimately took the last name Grant. He
spent his first year at Paramount appearing subpar roles before being cast
opposite Marlene Dietrich in 1932'sBlonde
Venus. Soon after the handsome young actor was spotted by Mae West, who
then insisted Grant be cast opposite her 1933 films She Done Him Wrong and I'm No
Angel.The two films, credited
with saving Paramount studios from bankruptcy, where bona fide hits and Grant,
albeit still a bit stiff on-screen, reach a small level of stardom. Despite
this, however, Paramount relegated Grant to a string of unsuccessful films such
as Alice in Wonderland, Born to be Bad
and Kiss and Make-Up. Feeling the
films completely wasted his both his talent and potential, in 1935 Grant left
the studio. Freed from his contract at Paramount, Grant signed to Columbia
pictures. Frustrated with the lack of freedom offered by Paramount, Grant
ensured his new contract had a clause that would allow him choice of role, even
if at a differing studio. Later that year in George Cukor's Sylvia Scarlett, the movie going public got
their first glimpse at the still yet-to-be refined comedic screen persona of
Cary Grant. It also marked the first of four films of the cherished
Grant/Hepburn collaborations. Although the film bombed, Grant was singled out
for his comedic performance.

Stardom

1937 wwould be the turning point for Grants Career. First,
he starred in the opposite Constance Bennet and Robert Young in the Norman Z.
McLeod comedy Topper. In the film, he
and Bennet play a pair of recently deceased ghosts who decided to shake up the
life of their living friend, Mr. Topper. Although glimmers of his genius shined
through in his earlier films, it would be Leo McCary's The Awful Truth thatsolidified
his on-screen persona as the sophisticated and effortlessly debonair comedic
leading man. In the film he and co-star Irene Dunn play a recently divorced
couple that go completely and comically out of their way to destroy each other's new romances. The film was huge hit and Grant became Hollywood's go-to leading
man for light comedy.

In the next few years, Grant would star in a string of
successful screwball comedies. In 1938 he reteamed with Katharine Hepburn twice,
starring in Holiday and Bring Up Baby.
Although the latter film was huge box-office bomb at the time of it's released
and temporarily ruined Hepburn's Hollywood career,it has since become one of the most beloved screwball comedies of
all time. In 1939 he demonstrated his range outside the light comedy genre by
starring two action/adventures film, George Steven's Gunga Din and Howard Hawks' Only
Angel's Have Wings. The next year he returned to screwball comedy with the
newsroom farce, His Girl Friday with
Rosalind Russell and another comedy of divorce, My Favorite Wife with his The
Awful Truth co-star Irene Dunne.In 1940 Grant starred opposite Katharine
Hepburn and James Stewart in the George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story. It would be his final film with Hepburn.

Continued Success and
Dramatic Roles

Although Grants name would be forever associated with
comedy, he also wished to prove himself as dramatic actor. In 1941 he reteamed
with Irene Dunn for the melodrama Penny
Serenade. The role would earn Grant his first of two Oscar Nomination.
Later that year, Grant played against type as a possible spouse murderer in the
1941 thriller Suspicion, directed by
Alfred Hitchcock. The collaboration would be one of the most beneficial of both
Grant's and Hitchcock's careers as the pair would make some of classic
Hollywood's most beloved films. The next year he returned to comedy as an
anarchist accused of burning down a building in the George Steven's love-triangle The Talk of the Town. In
1944, starred in None but the Lonely
Heart, playing a cockney vagabond called home to care for his mother. The
role gave Grant his second and final Oscar nomination and was his personal favorite.
Funnily enough, that year also provided Grant with his least favorite
performance in Frank Capra's screwball comedy Arsenic and Old Lace. Although considered by many of his fans to be
one of his Grant greatest performances, he thought himself far to "hammy" and heavy handed.

Free Agent

By the early 1940's, his contract with Columbia had expired,
making him one of the first actors to become a free agent, allowing him the
freedom to choose any part he wanted regardless of studio.With this newfound freedom Grant became
more selective of his roles. One of those said roles was American CIA operative,
Agent Devlin, in Alfred Hitchcocks 1946 thriller Notorious. The film is famed for its cerebral camera work and steamy
love scene between Grant and Bergman. Throughout the late 1940's, and early
1950's Grant continued to charm the movie going audience with his signature
light comedic touch in films twice starring opposite Hollywood's perfect wife,
Myrna Loy in 1947'sThe Bachelor and the
Bobby Soxer and 1948's Mr. Blanding
Builds His Dream House. In 1952 Grant once again teamed with director
Howard Hawks, starring opposite Ginger Rogers in Monkey Business.

Later Career and Life

In 1955, Grant once again teamed up with Hitchcock, this
time for the light-hearted caper film, To
Catch a Thief, opposite the lovely Grace Kelly. Two year later, he would
star opposite Deborah Kerr in the remake of An
Affair to Remember. The film has since become a staple in the pseudo-genre
of "chick-flick" and has earned a place in film history thanks to a mention in
the 1980's classic, Sleepless in Seattle.
In 1959, Grant starred in what can arguably be called his quintessential role in
Alfred Hitchcock's action/adventure thriller, North by Northwest. In the film Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a
successful Ad man who is mistaken for a government agent.In 1963, Grant was paired with Audrey
Hepburn in the romantic thriller, Charade.
The film was massive commercial and critical success despite Grant's won apprehensions about its May-December romance. By the time 1966 rolled around
Grant had become a father and starred in final film, Walk Don't Run, retiring soon after to take better care of his
newly born daughter.

Although he walked away from the silver screen, Grant
remained in Public Life. In 1970 he was the recipient of the Academy Award for
Lifetime achievement for his "unique mastery of the art of screen acting," and in 1981 he would earn the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for Career
Achievement in the Arts. Although he rarely granted Television interviews, in
the 1980's Grant embarked on nationwide lecture tour. In 1986, while on tour in
Davenport, Iowa, the aged star suffered a sudden stroke. Cary Grant died on
November 29th, 1986. He was 82 years old.

GRANT / HEPBURN FILMS:

GRANT / HITCHCOCK FILMS:

Cary Grant starred in four Alfred Hitchcock films: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955) and North by Northwest (1959).

HONORS and AWARDS:

.

Although Grant was nominated for two Oscars, he never won a competitive Academy Award. However he won one Honorary Oscar Award in 1969 for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues.

March Madness #6:

By Kat_Selby on Mar 6, 2018 From All Good Things

Welcome to Day 6 of MARCH MADNESS!
Every day one Super-star will be featured - a star that did many types of roles, from the really really BAD to the sweetest-dearest-most darling!
DAY 5 Results: Barbara Stanwyck's lovable-as-a-Lamb ELIZABETH LANE won out over her tougher side: Elizabeth Lane won 2... Read full article

True Confessions: Why I Cheated on with Gilbert Roland

By FlickChick on Oct 14, 2017 From A Person in the Dark

This is my entry in the Hollywood's Hispanic Heritage Blogathon, hosted by the delightful Aurora at Once Upon A Screen. Click here for more fantástico entries.
Can you blame me????
It's Your Lucky Day, Aurora!
My devotion to Mr. Grant is pretty well known. In fact, the author of this ... Read full article

Five Star Blogathon: Tops My List of Favorite Stars

By toto2 on May 15, 2017 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

This is my contribution to the Five Star Blogathon in support of National Classic Movie Day. I encourage you to check out all the posts to this wonderful blogathon. When my fellow contributor Rick asked me to write about my five favorite film stars, I came up with four of them quickly. It was a chal... Read full article

Five Stars Blogathon: Tops My List of Favorite Stars

By toto2 on May 15, 2017 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

This is my contribution to the Five Stars Blogathon in support of National Classic Movie Day. I encourage you to check out all the posts to this wonderful blogathon. When my fellow contributor Rick asked me to write about my five favorite film stars, I came up with four of them quickly. It was a cha... Read full article

Ticklish Business – Top 3 Films

on Feb 3, 2017 From Journeys in Classic Film

Special guest The Vern and I honor on his birthday by discussing our top 3 favorite Grant films. Want to support the show or pick episode content? Consider supporting me via Patreon. NEXT TIME: Grace Kelly gets the birthday treatment as my special guest and I look at her work in Dial M fo... Read full article

1610 Vine Street

One of his favorite poems was a bit of doggerel: "They bought me a box of tin soldiers,/I threw all the Generals away,/I smashed up the Sergents and Majors,/Now I play with my Privates all day."

He never said "Judy, Judy, Judy" in the movies, which he credits to Larry Storch, but he did say "Susan, Susan, Susan" in Bringing Up Baby (1938).

He gave serious consideration to retiring in 1953, because he believed the success of Marlon Brando and Method acting meant his own kind of acting was a thing of the past. Eighteen months later he was lured back to make To Catch a Thief (1955), and therefore delayed his retirement until 1966.